Rail-bond



(No Model.)

F- H DANIELS.

RAIL BOND.

I NO- 565,672.

Patented Aug. 11, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED Il. DANIELS, OF VORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAIL-BOND.

ySPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,672, dated August 11, 1896.

Application filed .Tune 20, 1896. Serial No. 596,276. (No model.)

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED I-I. DANIELS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Bonds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail-bonds for electric railways, and the object of my invention is to provide an improved rail-bond, and more particularly an improved rail-bond terminal or end, which may be securely attached to the rail with a large surface of copper in contact with the rail; and my invention consists in certain novel features of construction of a rail-bond terminal or end, as will be herein after fully described.

I have shown in the drawings my improvement applied to a rail-bond terminal or end of the class shown and described in my Patent No. 556,046, dated March 10, 1896.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side view of a terminal embodying` my im provements shown attached to the rail, a portion of which is shown in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the terminal or end shown in Fig. l and the drift-pin extending through the opening therein. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the terminal detached. Fig. 4. is a section on line i 4, Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 shows the driftpin detached.

In the class of rail-bond terminals or ends to which my improvement relates the opening through that portion of the termin al which extends through the rail and which receives the drift-pin is cylindrical or of uniform diameter throughout, as shown in my said patent, and in order to spread the terminal or end to bring it in close contact with the rail the driftpin must be of larger diameter than the opening in the terminal, so that the drift-pin must be held and directed to properly enter and be driven into said opening. This requires time, and often causes unnecessary delay in secur ing the terminals to the rails; and, further, the opening through the terminal being of uniform diameter at both ends the terminal is spread or expanded the same throughout its length.

In my improved terminal I have made that portion of the opening through the terminal into which the drift-pin is iirst inserted of larger diameter than the main portion of the opening and connected the two by a tapering portion, and I have made the opposite end of the opening of less diameter than the main portion and connected the two by a tapering portion. By this construction the end of the opening into which the drift-pin is inserted is of larger diameter than the diameter of the drift-pin, so that the end of said pin can be placed in the enlarged end of the opening an d will remain there without being held preparatory to being driven through the opening in the terminal. The opposite end of the opening being of less diameter than the diameter of the drift-pin, as the drift-pin is driven through the opening the metal at the smaller end of the opening is more expanded and forms an enlarged end upon the opposite side of the rail.

In the accompanying drawings, l is a portion of a rail provided with an opening therethrough to receive the terminal or end 2,which in this instance consists of a cylindrical portion 2 to extend through said opening and provided with a flange or lip 2, forming a head to bear on the rail, and a circular portion 2"', extending at substantially right angles to the cylindrical portion, and in this instance provided with an opening 3 to receive the end of the rail-bond 4.

Through the cylindrical portion of the terminal 2, which extends through the opening in the rail, is. an opening 5, to receive the drift-pin 6. The opening 5 is made as shown in Fig. a, having one end, 5', thereof, into which the end of the drift-pin is iirst inserted, of larger diameter than the main portion 5", and a tapering or inclined surface connecting said two portions. The other end, 5', of the opening 5 is of less diameter than the rest of the opening and has a tapering or inclined surface connecting it with the central portion of the opening.

The enlarged end of the opening is preferably of larger diameter than the diameter of the drift-pin, while the reduced end of the opening is of less diameter than the diameter of the drift-pin, and the intermediate portion is of substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the driftpin.

IOI)

It Will thus be seen that in attaching the terminal to the rail by driving in the driftpin to expand the metal in the terminal and force it in contact With the rail the end of the drift-pin can be freely inserted in the enlarged end 5 of the opening 5 and Will stay there Without holding, preparatory to being driven through the opening 5, and as the drift-pin is driven into and through the opening 5, when it reaches the smaller end 5" of the opening the metal around the same will be expanded so as to lap over the rail, as shown in Figs. l and 2, and form an enlarged end and prevent the terminal from Working loose or being Withdrawn from the rail.

Instead of a drift-pin a taper-tool may be driven into the opening 5 to expand the metal in the terminal and force it in contact with the rail, and then Withdrawn.

It Will be understood that I do not limit my improvement to the form of terminal shown in the drawings, but it maybe applied to any forni of terminal of a rail-bond.

The advantages of my improvement Will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Having thus described my inventio1i,\rliat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A rail-bond terminal or end, provided with an opening for a drift-pin or taper-tool, said opening of enlarged diameter at one end, and of reduced diameter at the other end, and the intermediate portion cylindrical or of uniform diameter, with taper or inclined portions connecting the same with said ends, substantially as described.

2. A rail-bond terminal or end, having an opening therethrough for a drift-pin or tapertool, said opening enlarged at one end, and provided with a taper or inclined portion connecting said end with the central portion of? the opening which is cylindrical, or of nniform diameter, substantially as described.

F. Il. DANIIC'LS. lVitnesses:

J. C. DEWEY, M. J. GALvIN. 

